Michael Oliver’s decision to send Lewis-Skelly off after 43 minutes will be replayed and poured over for a long time.
It has split opinion, with former England captain Alan Shearer calling it “one of the worst decisions that I’ve seen in a long time”.
Lewis-Skelly’s tackle was cynical and he knew what he was doing to stop Doherty breaking away from an Arsenal corner, but whether it was a red card has sparked intense debate – so intense that Arsenal’s win amid the controversy may almost be forgotten.
Liverpool snatched a result befitting champions when they struck twice late on to win at Brentford last week.
This time, Arsenal triumphed in a game where they faced adversity to keep in touch with the leaders after pulling their own win out of the fire.
A tactical reshuffle, bringing on eventual match-winner Calafiori at the break, proved to be a crucial decision by manager Mikel Arteta.
David Raya was never overly tested, despite a fine save to deny Matheus Cunha, and Arsenal always had a degree of control in the second half – even before Gomes’ red card made it 10 v 10.
The Gunners’ passionate celebrations at the end showed how important the win was and how they know they cannot afford to fall further behind Liverpool.
